Indoor Air Quality Performance

As the US EPA describes VOCs on their website, they are "emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids. VOCs include a variety of chemicals, some of which may have short- and long-term adverse health effects. Concentrations of many VOCs are consistently higher indoors (up to ten times higher) than outdoors.

They are important to measure and control as they can have adverse health affects ranging from eye irritation to cancer.  They are also associated with Sick Building Syndrome (SBS).  Different products such as paint products, wood adhesives, and wood preservatives have different levels of VOCs as they come from the manufacturer and when various finishes are applied, the levels released may increase or decrease.